


At a Distance

by SevenCandlesticks



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Gift Fic, Loneliness, Other TWICE members mentioned, Two Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:40:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26377429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SevenCandlesticks/pseuds/SevenCandlesticks
Summary: Mina had nearly reached her limit until happening upon 1 new voice mail.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	1. Contempt

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CelesteFitzgerald](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelesteFitzgerald/gifts).



Nothing felt right.

Mina enjoyed her alone time, she really did. But there was a _limit._ And she had just about reached said limit on a particular evening.

The day went on as it usually did. Nothing out of the ordinary. It was peaceful, quiet. In fact, it would be classified under Mina's favorite kind of days.

But today? She _hated_ it.

She hated being separated from her friends. She hated living alone. And she **hated** the amount of contempt she was feeling toward an otherwise fantastic today.

She hated, hated, HATED everything.

“GYEH!”

Grabbing a letter from the counter, she began ripping it to shreds, throwing it into the air only for it to fall down like imperfect confetti. Her hands were shaking, her knees felt weak. Soon her anger slowed and transformed into a silent weeping.

_Congratulations Mina,_

_You have been chosen._

Those were the first sentences that were written atop the page. The reason for all this. Amongst the shreds of paper, this one message remained intact. What once read as a happy message to be selected for this wonderful job opportunity only brought sorrow and heartache.

The job was overseas. Her friends were really supportive, especially Jihyo. In fact, Jihyo was extremely proud of her.

“We'll be cheering you on!” she had said. “Keep doing your best! You're gonna go far in life!”

“But I....” Mina swallowed, feeling like she was choking. “...I can't do this alone.”

Mina felt like she was about to pass out. Stumbling to her feet, she accidentally knocked her phone charge wire (which was still attached to her phone). “Ack!”

Luckily, she caught the phone in time.

_Battery 100%_

_Please unplug._

Oh, that's right, she had run her phone dead this morning. She kept forgetting to charge it. Work had been so busy.

“Eh?”

_1 New Voice Mail._

This must've been sent when her phone was off charging. She probably wasn't even home when it was recorded. Ah, but it was probably work... it always was.

Sighing, Mina opened the message, putting the phone up to her ear.

“ _Good morning, Mina! It's Jihyo!”_

“Jihyo?” Mina's eyes widened, pulling the phone momentarily to see the contact information before quickly reinstating the position next to her ear.

“ _I'm sorry I haven't been talkative lately. I've been caught up in my own work and feel bad for neglecting my promise to stay in contact. I truly am sorry._

_I hope that all is well with you and that you are safe! Are you making new friends? Eating right? Getting enough sleep? I really hope you're getting enough sleep._

_Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to call you as much. Well, it's probably been pretty evident by now, but...”_

“Jihyo... don't--”

“ _Anyway, I prepared a surprise for you! It should be coming in the mail in a few days. I made sure to ship it with insurance and everything! Hope you enjoy it and that it'll keep you company in your brightest and darkest times. I know it can feel pretty lonely when you're far away... so I hope this helps.”_

**Click.**

The message ended.

Her arm grew limp. Without letting go of the phone, she allowed it to fall to her side.

“Jihyo...”

Mina wasn't sure whether to be excited or cry. The moisture in her eyes threatened the latter, only now it was for a different reason.


	2. Care

A package sat outside of Mina's doorstep that morning.

It was from **Jihyo.**

Whilst it wasn't a terribly large box, it was certainly a lot bigger than Mina had anticipated. It was a typical brown, cardboard box, but a bunch of pineapple stickers had been plastered all over it to make it look “special”. Honestly, Jihyo's (failed) attempt at artistry made Mina smile a bit.

Using a box cutter, Mina sliced through the packaging tape which bound the flaps together. Although her expression was stoic, Mina was brimming with excitement. She couldn't wait to see what was inside.

The first thing she saw was an envelope atop a sea of packaging peanuts with the words **READ FIRST** scribbled in bold letters.

“Guess I read this first.” Mina said to herself, gently cutting the letter open with her box cutter and pulling out the contents. Unfolding the letter yielded a surprise of _something_ falling out, landing atop her toes.

“Money?” she questioned.

It was in the currency of the country she was staying at. How did Jihyo manage...? Nevermind. It was a question that would yield no answer, but that was so like Jihyo to manage the impossible.

The letter read as follows:

_Hi Mina!_

_I have prepared for you a care package for whenever you feel lonely._

_Everything is wrapped. It's like a little surprise each time from me!_

_Open one whenever you need a little pick me up. It doesn't matter when, or how many, in fact if you're eager, you can open them all right now if you'd like! But wouldn't that spoil all the fun? Perhaps you could even make a little schedule to have something to look forward to on your hardest days, I dunno haha._

_Oh, I think you saw the money that dropped, yeah? You should go out and treat yourself to your favorite snacks! I hope that's enough. I researched currency exchanges and prices and everything._

_Your friend,_

_\- Jihyo_

Mina ran her fingers over the letter. It was handwritten. Every stroke was from Jihyo's own hand. She easily could've typed it up and printed it out, but she chose to put ink to paper to make it feel personal. That's at least what Mina believed.

Digging through the sea of packaging peanuts, she saw many items of varying sizes wrapped in colorful gift tissue. The first to catch her eye was orange in a rectangular shape. This was the first pick-me-up she unwrapped.

“Ah...!”

A framed photograph.

This was taken at the beach in front of the ocean with her 8 most precious friends in the world. Nayeon was holding an armful of peaches to give to Momo, who seemed bored and tired of the joke. Sana was suffocating Dahyun in a hug, with Chaeyoung and Tzuyu staring with concerned expressions. Jeongyeon was far off on the left of the picture, smiling, unaware of the chaos behind her.

Mina couldn't help but laugh.

Then she spotted Jihyo.

Off to the far right, she stood with a large cardboard sign that read “We Miss You, Mina!”

This picture was taken for _her._

Setting the frame aside, Mina reached for another small package, but immediately pulled back. Why spoil all the fun, after all? It's difficult to be away from them, so she should savor this package as long as she can.

In her toughest moments, the days she felt like crying, she would retrieve one of the gently wrapped trinkets that the box contained. Things like a pineapple plush, knitted socks, a collection of postcards with personal messages, and various other oddities made her smile each time she discovered them.

Each little present she opened, she knew that they were thinking of her. And each time she looked back at that picture, she knew they were always with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My half of a fanfic trade!


End file.
